01.09.07 Day 22, Mexico Trip 1

We spent the morning visiting with Rafa and Paloma. It was so weird to hang out the four of us in Mexico. (Susan, Rafa, Helio, and myself) Rafa is such a nice guy. We hung out in their backyard and tried to keep their parrot from biting off my kid’s fingers. They offered us elotes (ears of corn) which of course we had to accept. Jonathan is such a trooper, he will eat anything. However, the elotes they gave us, I swear had been sitting in a pot in the back for the last week in the sun. Paloma brought over the bowl of them and asked “would you like them prepared like this or with lime and mayonnaise” I quickly stopped her from doing any more work to the corn. It is considered a treat to eat corn plucked from the ear in a cup with a spoon, lime, chile, cheese, and mayonnaise. It looks like one of the most vile ways to eat corn that I could imagine. As I was walking past Susan to keep Levi from something I whispered to her, don’t take the corn, it’s gross. She is a quick study- she declined when the bowl came her way.

We drove out to Taxco today from Cuernavaca. It was amazing. It is beautiful, clean, and so romantic. I wish we had more time to spend there. Helio told me they are responsible for most of the world’s silver mining. There was a silver shop every few feet with lots of options. You would think I would have purchased a lot but we didn’t have a lot of time. We arrived around 5pm and had to find some food. Of course, the plate they brought me was disgusting and I had to eat the bread that came with it to get full. I thought I was playing it safe by ordering soup and salad, but when the guy came out with a tray and tray stand to prepare my Caesar salad, I quickly realized that those were not hard boiled eggs they put their Caesar salads. He stirred up raw egg and then put full leaves of romaine lettuce in the bowl. I tried, I honestly tried to eat it but I just can’t eat a bunch of lettuce leaves with raw egg on it. (Jonathan explained this is how they prepare Caesar salad in Australia as well if you need that information for the future)

We made many comments through the day how strange it is to have Jonathan the English guy here in Mexico. The English apparently have lots of rules and protocol. The Mexicans- absolutely do not. Jonathan said that he thinks it is amazing to see all the colors and to witness all the yelling that goes back and forth between Mexicans. It makes the trip all the more fun to see a Brit have his exchange with the Mexicans.

We stayed at Conchita’s again Tuesday night. It was good to be in a nice, clean house but I just couldn’t sleep. I think it was my legs aching from going up the hill the day before. My resting period in Mexico, I think, has come to an end. I haven’t had a good night’s rest in three days. One night I listened to full traffic all night and slept in a twin bed with Helio and Levi at the hotel. (The roads down here do not normally have weight restrictions so you get everything from a noisy mope head without a muffler to a semi on the same road, not to mention the foot traffic, oddly I have heard a lot of ACDC from car stereos down here) The following night in Jona without moving air, and then Tuesday just plain couldn’t sleep. Soon, I will be in my own bed, I just wish Helio could be there too.